The Sing Tao Daily (also known as Sing Tao Jih Pao; Chinese: 星島日報) is among Hong Kong's oldest Chinese language newspapers.[1] It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, of which Kwok Ying-shing (Chinese: 郭英成) is chairman. Its English-language sister is the free newspaper The Standard.
 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Political alignment | Pro-Beijing (historically pro-ROC) |
| Headquarters | 7 Chun Cheong Street, Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, Hong Kong Overseas: 188 Lafayette Street, New York City 10013, United States |
| Website | std |
| Sing Tao Daily | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 星島日報 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 星岛日报 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sing Tao's Toronto edition is partly owned by Star Media Group, the publisher of the Toronto Star, a Torstar Corporation company.[2]
History
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Sing Tao Daily is the oldest Chinese language daily newspaper in Hong Kong, having commenced publication on 1 August 1938.[3]
The first overseas edition of the paper was launched in 1963 in San Francisco, where the group’s first overseas office was set up in May 1964.[3]
In 1992, Sing Tao Daily, encountering financial difficulties, established a joint publication with the International Culture Publishing Corporation, a front organization for China's Ministry of State Security according to Alex Joske.[4]
Until 2002, the parent company of Sing Tao Daily was Sing Tao Holdings; since then it has been Sing Tao News Corporation.[5]
In June 2021, a real estate developer's daughter from mainland China purchased a majority stake in the company.[6][7]
In August 2021, the U.S. branch of Sing Tao Daily started to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) at the order of the United States Department of Justice. The company said the incident involved libel and it would seek legal actions.[8][6][7]
Political stance
editThe Sing Tao has a long pro-government history. Before the handover of Hong Kong to China, it supported the Kuomintang and British Hong Kong government; and once Hong Kong was transferred and turned into a special administrative region, the paper turned its support to the Beijing government.[9][10] Sing Tao’s reporting on China now aligns with that of state-run media from Beijing.[11]
Reports of Chinese Communist Party influence
editA 2001 article by the Jamestown Foundation claimed that two of Sing Tao's owners were members of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and one editor had previously worked for China Daily.[12] According to a Hoover Institution report, Sing Tao was purchased by a pro-Beijing businessman in May 2001, who soon after partnered with the Xinhua News Agency to establish a joint venture, leading to the formation of an information-service company named Xinhua Online.[11] It is another formerly independent Chinese newspaper that has fallen under Beijing’s control.[11] In 2013, an analyst at Freedom House wrote in a report submitted to the Center for International Media Assistance that in recent decades, Sing Tao's management and owners began practicing "self-censorship," "high-risk" contributors were terminated, and journalists left due to an "unpalatable editorial policy." Topics such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, human rights in Tibet, and Taiwanese independence were minimized or avoided.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Sing Tao Daily publishes its last print edition as it shifts focus to online content". The Globe and Mail. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Blackwell, Tom (3 December 2020). "Inside Canada's Chinese-language media: 'Beijing has become the mainstream,' says ex-Sing Tao editor". National Post. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ a b Sing Tao Holdings Ltd Annual Report Archived 5 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine 2002, Profile of the Group
- ^ Joske, Alex (2022). Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World. Hardie Grant Books. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-74358-900-7. OCLC 1347020692.
- ^ "Announcements and Circulars | Sing Tao News Corporation Limited". www.singtaonewscorp.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b Markay, Lachlan (25 August 2021). "DOJ brands Chinese-owned U.S. newspaper a foreign agent". Axios. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b Cheng, Selina (26 August 2021). "US edition of Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao forced to register as foreign agent". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "US edition of Sing Tao told to register as foreign agent". Marketing-Interactive. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "Editor Dismissed Over Pro-Beijing Edits, Say Sources". Canada Free Press. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ Yu, Jess Macy (6 October 2014). "Hong Kong Newspapers, Pro- and Anti-Beijing, Weigh In on Protests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Diamond, Larry; Schell, Orville (29 November 2018). "China's Influence & American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance". Hoover Institution. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Duzhe, Mei (21 November 2001). "How China's Government Is Attempting to Control Chinese Media in America". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ Center for International Media Assistance (22 October 2013). The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship: How the Communist Party’s Media Restrictions Affect News Outlets Around the World. Sara Segal-Williams (ChinaFile).
External links
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